Thoreau's Country: Journey Through A Transformed Landscape

Book Description

In 1977 David Foster took to the woods of New England to build a cabin with his own hands. Along with a few tools he brought a copy of the journals of Henry David Thoreau. Foster was struck by how different the forested landscape around him was from the one Thoreau described more than a century earlier. The sights and sounds that Thoreau experienced on his daily walks through nineteenth-century Concord were those of rolling farmland, small woodlands, and farmers endlessly working the land. As Foster explored the New England landscape, he discovered ancient ruins of cellar holes, stone walls, and abandoned cartways--all remnants of this earlier land now largely covered by forest. How had Thoreau's open countryside, shaped by ax and plough, divided by fences and laneways, become a forested landscape?

Part ecological and historical puzzle, this book brings a vanished countryside to life in all its dimensions, human and natural, offering a rich record of human imprint upon the land. Extensive excerpts from the journals show us, through the vividly recorded details of daily life, a Thoreau intimately acquainted with the ways in which he and his neighbors were changing and remaking the New England landscape. Foster adds the perspective of a modern forest ecologist and landscape historian, using the journals to trace themes of historical and social change.

Thoreau's journals evoke not a wilderness retreat but the emotions and natural history that come from an old and humanized landscape. It is with a new understanding of the human role in shaping that landscape, Foster argues, that we can best prepare ourselves to appreciate and conserve it today.

From the journal:

"I have collected and split up now quite a pile of driftwood--rails and riders and stems and stumps of trees--perhaps half or three quarters of a tree...Each stick I deal with has a history, and I read it as I am handling it, and, last of all, I remember my adventures in getting it, while it is burning in the winter evening. That is the most interesting part of its history. It has made part of a fence or a bridge, perchance, or has been rooted out of a clearing and bears the marks of fire on it...Thus one half of the value of my wood is enjoyed before it is housed, and the other half is equal to the whole value of an equal quantity of the wood which I buy."

--October 20, 1855

Customer Reviews:

Natural New England: then, now, & all points in-between.......2004-12-04

Henry David Thoreau was intrigued by the natural world around Concord, Massachusetts, and a few other favorite New England sites. And whenever he was interested in something or wanted to mull over something, he jotted his findings and his musings in his journals. David Foster has analyzed the journal entries and has compared all the descriptions of Thoreau's New England landscape of the 19th century with our present-day environment. The result is a marvelous insight into the complex intertwinings of natural succession and human land use over several centuries.

At first glance, you might think this book is just another mere compilation of quotes from Thoreau's journals. Nothing could be further from the truth! The chapters address a variety of aspects of the landscape. Each chapter begins with Foster's original explanation of the topic, and he backs up his interpretations with Thoreau's dated journal entries. We are fortunate to have these daily observations and to be able to see the pond of "Walden" fame as a microcosm of the 19th-century New England landscape. For while Thoreau wrote that he "went to the woods," the place he went to was a far cry from what we would now typically call "wooded." Foster says, "It is ironic to recognize today, when a high value is placed on nature, wilderness, and old-growth landscape, that America's premier nature writer and propounder of conservation and wilderness values lived at a time when the New England landscape was arguably the most tamed and most dominated by human activity in its entire history." (p. 222)

And while the writings of Thoreau are generally approached through American literature classes, we've been remiss in not giving more credence to the *science* in his observations. He had ideas about sustainability that were unusual and ahead of his time, and we are gradually coming to realize that his notes make perfect sense today. "More than half a century after Thoreau laid out the story of succession in painstaking detail in his journals, his lessons had to be relearned by the forest ecologists at Harvard." (p. 226) David Foster has the benefit of being able to draw on both knowledge bases: Thoreau's and his own, and he can easily compare the two in this volume. Indeed, this is exactly the kind of book that Thoreau would have read and would have been captivated by, for he was forming his own theories about the trends he found in Nature.

In this volume, Foster puts a new spin on the concept of conservation, preservation, and exactly what is "native" or "a natural state." Every inch of our world has been affected by some sort of human activity. "We are caught in a cultural dilemma in which we seek to maintain what we know and what is becoming rare even though it is largely the consequence of intense human activity." (p. 225)

The text is accompanied by the beautiful pen-and-ink illustrations of Abigail Rorer, who has done similiar work for other "Thoreau books." Foster's additional bibliographic essay provides documentation and the processes he went through to conduct his research. A list of sources plus a 10-page bibliography cap off this work.

While this is an easy enough book to read, Foster's narrations and conclusions take time to digest. They must be savored and absorbed. The reader needs time to stop and think about what he/she's just read. So while this is a worthwhile read, it isn't necessarily a quick one. Recommended for Thoreauvians (of course!), and should also be mandatory study for land managers throughout New England, the Northeast, and in other North American regions. Even lifelong New England residents will learn something new here.

Terrific book, very well written.......1999-05-21

A must read for people interested in the environment and how to interpret their surroundings. Beautifully written, thoughtful and intelligent. One of the best books I've read.

Thoreau's Country Holds Distant Mirror to Today's Hidden Forest.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: American Scientist

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Thoreau's Country Holds Distant Mirror to Today's Hidden Forest.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: American Scientist

Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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THOREAU'S COUNTRY: Journey through a Transformed Landscape.(Review) (book review) : An article from: The Geographical Review

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THOREAU'S COUNTRY: Journey through a Transformed Landscape.(Review) (book review) : An article from: The Geographical Review
Joseph S. Wood
Manufacturer: American Geographical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00099OU3A
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Geographical Review, published by American Geographical Society on July 1, 1999. The length of the article is 985 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: THOREAU'S COUNTRY: Journey through a Transformed Landscape.(Review) (book review)
Author: Joseph S. Wood
Publication: The Geographical Review (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 1999
Publisher: American Geographical Society
Volume: 89 Issue: 3 Page: 449

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Ethiopia's millennia-old monuments, Djibouti's stunning diving, Eritrea's architecture - the Horn of Africa has plenty to offer the traveller. Use this guide to discover the continent's best-kept secret.

over 50 maps, providing comprehensive coverage of the region
valuable information on safety and health
where to stay, what to eat and when to go
special sections on Ethiopia's diverse birdlife, Red Sea diving, Eritrea's architecture and Djibouti's geology
comprehensive language section covering Amharic, French, Tigrinyan and Arabic

Customer Reviews:

From Africa's Horn.......2002-03-16

I live in Norway, and Africa's Horn is far from my everyday life. I have travelled several times to Eritrea though, and have been searching for guide books from the country. When I went to Eritrea last fall it was with great pleasure I bought the LP book by Frances Linzee Gordon, Ethiopia, Eritrea & Djibouti.

The book is one of the best LP books I've read. The writing is clearly, and it gives us good insight in history, facts, geography, and so on. I have read parts of the book about all three countries, but the Eritrean part is the only one I have actuallu used when travelling.

The books has some very good pictures and maps, and give alot of up to date information. My favorite part is the part about Asmara's architecture, "Asmara, or Piccola Roma, soon came to epitomise the new philosophy: it was not just beautiful, but was well planned, well built and, above all, functiomal. The book is a good guide to use when you plan your travel ahead, and is even better when you actually are there and need or want information.

An extra benefit of the book is the small notes you find alot of, giving interesting information. Reading these notes makes your travel alot more special.

When I travel I use my guidebooks as kind of diaries. I write down restaurants I visit, hotel I stay at, interesting places I see and so on. And this book is filled with my writings almost on all pages. Gordon has seen it all, and gives very useful information about a very interesting, though little known country.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

LP's best!.......2002-01-05

As a Lonely Planet author, I'd like to echo the words of other reviewers of this book. This is clearly Lonely Planet's best title - the writing is clear, concise and informative, the asides are entertaining, the tone is objective yet engaging, and Frances Linzee Gordon's photos are nothing short of spectacular. Congratulations, Frances - you've produced a winner!

Great reference book!.......2001-08-05

A recent front page article in the New York Times on the Lalibela churches in northern Ethiopia sent me running for my LP copy of this book. I was most pleasantly surprised to find over a dozen pages of detailed information on this incredible center of early Christianity. F. Linzee-Gordon's first hand account of a visit to the churches provided a most informative background lacking in the NY Times article. Well done!

helpful, amusing, informative . . ........2001-07-25

Frances Linzee Gordon's guide to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti is not only clearly the best of the available guide books for these countries, but is also a real pleasure to read. I have used it twice this year while filming television documentaries in Ethiopia for National Geographic Television and it has made both trips easier, more interesting and more enjoyable than they would otherwise have been. The practical information is comprehensive and accessible and the historical and geographical information is elegantly written and more readable than is often the case in guide books. But what makes this guidebook stand out is the infectious passion and enthusiasm for the countries which it displays. The personal reflections and the incidental information (particularly in the boxed text) give the guidebook a texture which really helps to make the country come alive. I would higly reccomend it to anyone making a trip to Ethiopia.

LP's best "asides".......2001-05-06

What makes LP's guides something far more than a mere index of cheap places to eat and sleep is its "asides". Those little notes in the corner of almost every page give the traveler a look into the psyche of the subject country. Frances Linzee Gordon's well focused encyclopedic collection of asides in this book arm the traveller with a treasury of notes that help the traveller understand their Ethiopian/Eritrean/Djiboutan hosts and provide a veritable arsenal of discussion topics while on the road. So armed, the traveler will have no problems making friends with the locals. Well done FLG!

Lonely Planet: Etiopia, Eritrea E Gibouti

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Lonely Planet: Etiopia, Eritrea E Gibouti
F.L. Gordon
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Eritrea | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Ethiopia & Djibouti | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

Travel | Italian | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All Italian Books | Italian | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 8870635031

Book Description

Melanin Sun's mother has some big news: she's in love with a woman. Now he has many decisions to make: Should he stand by his mother even though it could mean losing his friends? Should he abandon the only family he's ever known? Either way, Melanin Sun is about to learn the true meaning of sacrifice, prejudice, and love.

Customer Reviews:

Fast Service Great Quality.......2007-03-08

I received the book within five days and it was in great condition for it to have been a used book. Kudos to the seller.

Wonderful development of characters .......2006-12-12

I thought this book was wonderful. The development of the character made me really feel for Melanin during his struggles and the story line broke my heart. The ending of the book was a little vague and I am unsure of it was done intentionally by the author or not, but I like I need to know what happened next!

The author, Jacqueline Woodson stated that if she had a single message to share with readers, it's that "no matter who you are in the world, it's okay to be who you are." What an excellent quote that articulates everything this book stands for.

Although this book didn't primarily focus on aspects of race, but rather aspects of homosexuality I think that it showcased some wonderful topics for readers to consider. However, I am concerned about the use of language within the book, which made me question what age range this was written for. For me, personally I would not want my child learning the words portrayed in the book, especially the ones used with a negative sense.

FROM THE NOTEBOOKS OF MELANIN SUN.......2005-05-03

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun
By:Jacquuelin Woodson

This book is about a boy. Melanin Sun and his mama have always been a whole family with a special kind of love and care. Soon Melanin is finding out that his mom is shutting doors that were always open.And now?,they have been having problems. Mel has been finding out that his mama is keeping secrets since he was a child. I think that this is a good book because it makes you laugh and cry. This book is interesting because it's in racial times.

Fantastic.......2003-10-27

I read this book in 1997. Unfourtantely, I lost my copy years ago, so I can't make specific references to what I loved about this book. But I did love this book very much. I have put it up there with some of the greatest books I've ever read, such as A Wrinkle In Time and Watership Down. I think Jackie did something really fantastic with this book, and I thank her for the experience.

A good book on a worthy topic.......2002-10-13

For as long as thirteen-year-old Melanin Sun can remember, it's been just him and his mom. His father walked off before he was born. His mother never dated much. Usually after just two or three dates with a man she'd lose interest. Melanin Sun was happy with his life and family situation...until his mom discovered the pretty white lawyer named Kristin.

Melanin Sun was horrified. His mother! His very own mother was a dyke! Did this mean Melanin Sun would grow up gay? Kissing Angie from down the street gave him a rush of butterflies in his stomach, but still. What if his friends found out? He'd be the
laughingstock of his block.

Through diary exerpts and straightforward narrative, Melanin Sun bears his soul to the reader with painful clarity. Angry and confused about sex and love and racial issues, he tried to punish his mother by shutting her out of his life and refusing to even talk to Kristin. When his friends found out, one of them did indeed make fun of his mother and it became clear that they would not be friends anymore. However Melanin Sun's other friend accepted the situation, so things were not as bad as he originally thought.

Over the course of summer, Melanin Sun had to confront many issues he had about racism, sexuality, and tolerance. Shortly before school started he finally began to accept his mother's new lifestyle by accompanying her to the beach with her lover. The winner of the Coretta Scott King award, From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun is a very readable book that treats heavy issues in a gentle way.

Book Description

The complex and critical process of extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly is described in this book. Assembly may involve molecules interacting with molecules of the same matrix class, such as in collagen, or interactions between different ECM molecules, such as in basement membranes. The text shows how this is driven by structural information within the matrix monomer. This information will be of interest to cell, developmental, and molecular biologists, biochemists, biophysicists, and biomedical researchers involved in macromolecular assembly, biological macromolecules, and extracellular matrix.

Key Features
* Addresses assembly of most of the known classes of extracellular matrix macromolecules
* Discusses higher order structures produced by ECM
* Gives important concepts in:
* ECM and cell-matrix interactions
* Protein structure and protein-protein interactions
* Development and tissue remodeling

Cytoskeletal and Extracellular Proteins: Structure, Interactions and Assembly (Springer Series in Biophysics, Vol 3)

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Cytoskeletal and Extracellular Proteins: Structure, Interactions and Assembly (Springer Series in Biophysics, Vol 3)
U. Aebi
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biophysics | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This book provides an in-depth study of the changes which occur in the components of food when they are subjected to processing. The book is divided into two distinct parts. in the first part the fundamental changes are examined from a scientific point of view. These include: Vapor pressure and water activity; Glass transition; Emulsion technology; Maillard (Browning) reaction; Rheology; Foams; Gells and gelling; Fat eutectics and crystallization; Surface effects; Fermentation; Change in cell structure. In the second part of the book these changes are reviewed as to how they are important to different parts of the food industry. Chapters included concern: Dairy products; Cakes, baking, and bread making; Meat and fish; Fruits and vegetables; Preserves and jellies; Sugar and confectionery; Chocolate; Extruded products; Sauces, pickles, and condiments; Alcoholic drinks; and Multicomponent products.

Hardness reducers in drilling;: A physico-chemical method of facilitating the mechanical destruction of rocks during drilling;

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Hardness reducers in drilling;: A physico-chemical method of facilitating the mechanical destruction of rocks during drilling;
Petr Aleksandrovich Rebinder
Manufacturer: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Physico - Chemical Methods
joseph ; Rae, William Norman Reilly
Manufacturer: D. Van Nostrand Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MN0J8S

Physico Chemical Methods - 2 (two) volumes

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Physico Chemical Methods - 2 (two) volumes
Joseph and Rae, William Norman Reilly
Manufacturer: Methuen & Co., Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M12YUG

Physico Chemical Methods . TWO VOLUMES. FIFTH EDITIOn

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Physico Chemical Methods . TWO VOLUMES. FIFTH EDITIOn
Joseph & William Norman Rae Reilly
Manufacturer: London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LWDBOY

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Physico Chemical Methods 3ed 2vol
Joseph Reilly
Manufacturer: METHUEN & CO LTD (ENGLAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QA0JTG

Physico Chemical Methods 3RD Edition 2 Volumes

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Physico Chemical Methods 3RD Edition 2 Volumes
Joseph Reilly
Manufacturer: METHUEN & CO LTD (ENGLAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UFYAWY

Physico Chemical Methods Measurement and Manipulation Volume I 3ed

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Physico Chemical Methods Measurement and Manipulation Volume I 3ed
Joseph Reilly
Manufacturer: D VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UG822M

Physico Chemical Methods Practical Measurements Volume II

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Physico Chemical Methods Practical Measurements Volume II
Joseph Reilly
Manufacturer: VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UG8HE0

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Physico Chemical Methods Volume 1 3ed
Joseph Reilly
Manufacturer: D VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q9ZHZ8

Book Description

This book studies the redistribution impact of social security schemes on income distribution. A detailed model is derived from the particular example of the Netherlands, but the findings have significant implications for all those concerned with social security systems and their political and economic role.

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Modelling Income Distribution
John Creedy
Manufacturer: Edward Elgar Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This book collects recent research on modeling income distribution and redistribution by John Creedy and a number of other eminent co-authors. The book opens with the main results of a research program, largely with Vance Martin, on distributional modeling using the generalized exponential family. The authors argue that the major advantages of this family are its flexibility, particularly in handling multimodality, and the explicit link with structural demand and supply models.

The book goes on to discuss the research, undertaken with Alex Bakker, on the effects of macroeconomic variables, particularly unemployment and inflation, on the personal distribution. The use of the generalized exponential family in this context is explored, as well as the use of mixture distributions.

Finally, income redistribution is examined in depth. This includes work, mainly with Justin van de Ven, on decomposing the redistributive effects of taxes into vertical, horizontal and reranking effects. The final chapters, with Duangkamon Chotikapanich, explore the Bayesian estimation of a range of social welfare, inequality and tax progressivity measures. Posterior distributions of the measures are obtained.

Modelling Income Distribution should be of interest to a wide range of academics and researchers with an interest in welfare economics and econometric theory.

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Population, Development, and Income Distribution: A Modelling Approach, Bachue-International
R. Scott Moreland
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312631316

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Labor market distortions, rural-urban inequality and the opening of China's economy [An article from: Economic Modelling]
T. Hertel , and F. Zhai
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR7B08

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Economic Modelling, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
This paper evaluates the impact of some key factor market reforms on rural-urban inequality and income distribution, using a household-disaggregated, recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of China. We also explore how these factor market reforms interact with product market reforms currently underway as part of China's WTO accession process. The simulation results show that the reforms in rural land rental market and Hukou system, as well as increasing off-farm labor mobility, would reduce the urban-rural income ratio dramatically. Furthermore, the combination of WTO accession and factor market reforms improves both efficiency and equality significantly.

Economic-demographic modelling for development planning: BACHUE-Philippines (World Employment Programme research working paper)

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Economic-demographic modelling for development planning: BACHUE-Philippines (World Employment Programme research working paper)
Gerry Rodgers
Manufacturer: International Labour Organisation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Statistics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Demographic History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007B7U46

Modelling regional investment in water resources and its income distribution effects: A model for Bangladesh (Urban planning, policy analysis, and administration : Discussion paper)

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Modelling regional investment in water resources and its income distribution effects: A model for Bangladesh (Urban planning, policy analysis, and administration : Discussion paper)
Peter P Rogers
Manufacturer: Department of City and Regional Planning, Harvard University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Water Supply & Land Use | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006WI05Y

Population, Development and Income Distribution - A Modelling Approach

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Population, Development and Income Distribution - A Modelling Approach
R. Scott Moreland
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTE5SK

Book Description

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was the best known and best loved African-American poet of her time, as well as a teacher and lecturer on abolition, suffrage, education, and many other topics. This anthology contains all of her extant poetry and a generous selection of prose and letters, and provides moving portraits of suffering under slavery, as well as of freedom, love, infidelity, poverty, and heroism. As The New York Times Book Review notes, “This anthology . . . not only provides the first modern biography of Harper, but also illuminates her connection to . . . 20th-century writers like Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison.”

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive compilation with historical info.......2007-02-24

I recently did research on Ms. Harper, and this book was so good, I actually added it to my collection. This is the only book that has all her work in one place. Ms. Foster also does a nice job of setting up each chapter with information about the history going on at the time of original publication. The only drawback, very slight, is that Harper's best known novel, Iola Leroy, isn't reprinted in full here, there are only excerpts.
Overall a great way to get to know an African American woman author who has unfortunately been forgotten for too long.

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